The apparatus for analysis of environment, for instance, such as air (gas) particle quantity counting and particle size measuring, or liquid/fluid (water) particle/contamination size measuring and quantity counting, or airborne (gas) particle and/or liquid/fluid (water) contamination sampling, or airborne (gas) particle and/or liquid/fluid (water) contamination concentration analysis, and the other (hereinafter such apparatus will be mentioned as an environmental analyzer, and the air, gas, liquid/fluid, water, etc. will be mentioned as environment), is known.
Such apparatus for analysis of environment, providing airborne, gas and/or liquid/fluid, water quality analysis (analysis of environment) generally comprises a particle detecting means and a data (signals, information) processing means, and can be of two kinds: portable or remote. Generally, the known apparatus mostly includes a single specimen flow channel, detecting means, processing/controlling means, and portable apparatus may include display, sometimes printer, and front panel with the organs for manual control by operator.
For example, it is well known, that integrated circuits (chips) and semiconductors have been produced in “clean rooms”. The air in such “clean rooms” should be very well cleaned. The continuing tendencies of improvement in the circuit integration and degree of microminiaturization require corresponding improvements of the environment in “clean rooms” and efficiency and sensitivity of the contamination measuring devices. The sensitivity of the counting and measuring devices should provide the detection of the particles/contaminations (hereinafter particles/contaminations will be mentioned as particle) at least as small as 0.085 μm (micron) or smaller. Such rate requires minimum distortions of the signals. Also, the measurements should be done in the different places of the semiconductor production areas and sometimes in the areas with the difficult access and approach. The same is, for instance, regarding the pharmaceutical, biological industries, etc. where the high environmental condition is required too.
The most common problem inherent in the most environmental analyzers is a non-precise selection of the flow system for the assayed specimen flowing through the detecting system. The most of the known environmental analyzers for airborne (gas) particle and/or liquid (water) contamination control use only one (single) channel for flow of the particles of all sizes.
The bigger particles of the assayed specimen flowing through the single channel may shadow the smaller particles during particles monitoring (detecting) creating a non-precise particle counting.
This deficiency is eliminated by the method and device providing precise particle flow system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,091. The device generally includes an entrance particle flow tubular means connected by an extended entrance particle flow tubular means through a blowing means and flow measuring means to an inlet valved means of the linear-style valving means. The inlet valving means by at least one of a plurality of extended inlet particle flow tubular means is connected through appropriate at least one of a plurality of filters of the inlet filtrating means to the appropriate at least one of a plurality of capillary inlet particle flow means. The detecting system comprises a source of a light beam (laser) and light detection means, etc. Hereinafter the meaning of “light beam” should include without limitations the meanings of “laser” and/or “laser beam”, any suitable and adequate visible and/or invisible rays, etc. The at least one of a plurality of capillary outlet particle flow means are connected by an appropriate at least one of a plurality of extended outlet particle flow tubular means to an outlet valving means of valving means, which by an extended exit particle flow tubular means is connected to a purging means. The purging means through outlet filtration means and exit particle flow tubular means is connected to the outside environment. Also, a blowing/pumping means, a flow measuring means, an inlet valving means of the valving means, a detecting system, an outlet valving means of the valving means and a purging means are connected to a control system.
The deficiency of this precise device is a possible high cost of the required plurality of the capillary inlet and outlet particle flow means.
Thus, there is a great need in the art for the improved method and efficient, not expansive environment analyzing apparatus able to provide the precise assayed specimen flow system for the precise particle measuring and counting.